The Watchdog with David Bozell

MRC has been a pain in late-night television’s neck for years, and we wear that as a badge of honor.

We are the only organization in America that actually counts the jokes, tracks the partisan monologues, and measures the guest imbalance. Somebody had to do it. Apparently Hollywood was too busy giving itself awards.

And in 2025, the whole late-night act started coming apart.

When MRC posted the clip of Jimmy Kimmel accusing Charlie Kirk’s shooter of being MAGA, it took off: more than 15 million views. Kimmel was suspended for a week, and even The New York Times credited MRC with helping force ABC’s hand.

Then there was Stephen Colbert.

On July 1, 2025, MRC released a study showing that since 2022 Colbert had hosted 176 left-leaning guests and exactly one Republican.

One.

At that point, just rename the show Democratic National Committee After Dark and save everybody the suspense.

Two weeks later, CBS announced The Late Show would end in May 2026. The New York Post put our findings right on the front page: “No wonder he was canned. The ‘Left’ Show with Stephen Colbert: Hosted 176 Lefties, 1 GOPer.”

The Post pointed to our research alongside the show’s massive financial losses. Turns out lecturing half the country every night is not necessarily a growth industry. Who knew?

Now Colbert is wandering back into the spotlight, Emmy in hand, appearing Tuesday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live!.

He compared hosting late night to “drinking a cup of poison.”

Buddy, you were pouring.

For years, Trump was Colbert’s oxygen supply. Trump was the monologue, the punchline, the villain, the emergency backup punchline, and probably half the writers’ room health plan. But suddenly, when reporters asked whether Trump had anything to do with the show ending, Colbert discovered the ancient art of shutting up.

Not at the Emmys. Not on Kimmel. Nowhere.

So when Fox News asked me about the sudden case of Trump-induced laryngitis, I said:

“Colbert suddenly does not want to talk about Trump? That’s rich. Obviously, Trump did not cancel his show. CBS looked at the audience, looked at the bill, and decided the joke had run long enough.”

And that really is the story.

Late night spent years mistaking applause from one side of the room for universal approval. They served partisan politics every night, called it comedy, handed each other trophies for it, and then acted stunned when viewers stopped showing up.

Late night did not drink the poison.

Late night mixed it, poured it, garnished it with a Trump joke, and charged CBS millions for the privilege.

MRC just kept the receipts.

Take it easy,David Bozell
President